An Omni-directional antenna would be just about the worst thing they could possibly use. The limited gain means a much reduced serving footprint area.

Multi beam antennas have very high gain, which makes them idea for situations where the users are a long distance from the antenna. Commscope Paper However, they can cause sector bore sight overlap issues in areas with other masts.

An Omni-directional antenna would be just about the worst thing they could possibly use. The limited gain means a much reduced serving footprint area.

Multi beam antennas have very high gain, which makes them idea for situations where the users are a long distance from the antenna. Commscope Paper However, they can cause sector bore sight overlap issues in areas with other masts.

The EE side of things has no panels whatsoever pointing to the vast majority of users in Hunstanton Town. Result? Very little coverage in the town and virtually nothing to those houses/flats that are closest to the seafront!
And that's outdoor coverage... not indoor coverage!
Vodafone may be 2G... but at least they have something pointing into the town!

The EE side of things has no panels whatsoever pointing to the vast majority of users in Hunstanton Town. Result? Very little coverage in the town and virtually nothing to those houses/flats that are closest to the seafront!
And that's outdoor coverage... not indoor coverage!
Vodafone may be 2G... but at least they have something pointing into the town!

Is there a poll-thing on this forum where we can pose the following question:

Is Beans (a) lacking in any degree of self-awareness, or (b) a highly sophisticated troll?

Is there a poll-thing on this forum where we can pose the following question:

Is Beans (a) lacking in any degree of self-awareness, or (b) a highly sophisticated troll?

Beans is what's known as a 'super-troll'. Not many exist. I have been to evening classes for trolling and heard whispers of such beings. Having failed to be much good at it, I now run my own online courses for other idiots.

I can't tell you everything I know (that's my basic trolling there. It's quite good as you can't see why it's trolling but it is so let's call that advanced level.), but I can tell you this. Beans is beyond detection. Beans is so good at trolling that he / she doesn't even know they are doing it. It's like an altered state. Beans is the troll version of that fella off the TV. Damon Hill. No. Um...The other one. Matthew Broderick.. No Forrest Gump. You know who I mean. The Ipcress File. Rockford Files. That bloke who kicks people's necks off in the lift but doesn't know WTF he is on about. Jason Bourne. That's him.

I've noticed a new base station equipment has been installed at the end of my street and the mast is being installed tomorrow. The odd thing is that its a samsung box and only tells you that its being installed on threes website. Are three having their own base stations installed or will ee be added later ?

I've noticed a new base station equipment has been installed at the end of my street and the mast is being installed tomorrow. The odd thing is that its a samsung box and only tells you that its being installed on threes website. Are three having their own base stations installed or will ee be added later ?

Highly likely that it will be shared EE/3 - potentially it could be a 3 only site, though I've only seen a couple of those. Almost all of the sites seem to be EE/3 shared (certainly for 3G - the networks add their own 4G on as and when).

Yes but beans your using the S4 which is known to have a crappy antenna which won't help your overall experience. Samsung's have always been known for having poor antenna setups until the s6 edge plus arrived.

I know that the S4 was poor in regards to holding onto 3G/4G, but I didn't know that the antenna was generally crap in the S4.
Why don't the mobile phone designers have to stick to a given antenna design that is known to work in poor signal areas?

Is the LG G4/G5 any better than the lousy S4 antenna? I know that the S4 won't get VoLTE, but if the LG G4 (or G5) has a better antenna, as well as the possibility of Volte, it will sway me towards ditching the S4, which I have had for two years now...

Highly likely that it will be shared EE/3 - potentially it could be a 3 only site, though I've only seen a couple of those. Almost all of the sites seem to be EE/3 shared (certainly for 3G - the networks add their own 4G on as and when).

well it seems strange as there is another ex orange site just down the road that has been upgraded to EE2g/4g

well it seems strange as there is another ex orange site just down the road that has been upgraded to EE2g/4g

In which case, chances are EE don't want Three on their mast, so Three are going to do their own thing and put their own mast in. Hopefully Three put 3G and 4G on, though 3G is Three's base layer so all sites have got to have it!

Don't know why EE are doing 2G/4G only on some masts - unless EE still consider 2G to be important (though all focus should be on 3G and 4G, in my opinion - then, once everything has got 4G, enough people are using 4G/Volte, and enough phones support Volte, then they can gradually shut down 3G and 2G (because 4G800 will have a much larger coverage than 2G could ever do, and 4G1800 can match or slightly exceed 2G1800)).

edit: How close is that Orange site to the new proposed site? If it's close enough (i.e. next to the existing EE cabs), then it could be 3 joining the EE mast - or alternatively, Three/EE might use this new mast, then shut down the Orange mast? They are two possibilities....

Still seems strange that Three are building a new mast when EE could just allow them onto the Orange mast!

In which case, chances are EE don't want Three on their mast, so Three are going to do their own thing and put their own mast in. Hopefully Three put 3G and 4G on, though 3G is Three's base layer so all sites have got to have it!

Don't know why EE are doing 2G/4G only on some masts - unless EE still consider 2G to be important (though all focus should be on 3G and 4G, in my opinion - then, once everything has got 4G, enough people are using 4G/Volte, and enough phones support Volte, then they can gradually shut down 3G and 2G (because 4G800 will have a much larger coverage than 2G could ever do, and 4G1800 can match or slightly exceed 2G1800)).

edit: How close is that Orange site to the new proposed site? If it's close enough (i.e. next to the existing EE cabs), then it could be 3 joining the EE mast - or alternatively, Three/EE might use this new mast, then shut down the Orange mast? They are two possibilities....

Still seems strange that Three are building a new mast when EE could just allow them onto the Orange mast!

It's about half a mile away but now I'm surrounded by 5 ee site's, it seems excessive and odd that they might add another.

Beans is what's known as a 'super-troll'. Not many exist. I have been to evening classes for trolling and heard whispers of such beings. Having failed to be much good at it, I now run my own online courses for other idiots.

I can't tell you everything I know (that's my basic trolling there. It's quite good as you can't see why it's trolling but it is so let's call that advanced level.), but I can tell you this. Beans is beyond detection. Beans is so good at trolling that he / she doesn't even know they are doing it. It's like an altered state. Beans is the troll version of that fella off the TV. Damon Hill. No. Um...The other one. Matthew Broderick.. No Forrest Gump. You know who I mean. The Ipcress File. Rockford Files. That bloke who kicks people's necks off in the lift but doesn't know WTF he is on about. Jason Bourne. That's him.

I am delighted to inform you that you have received the 'best post since the one about posty the post man getting stuck in a post box' award! Your trophy will be sent within the next 27 working days via Vodafone G26*.

*the delivery of the trophy cannot be guaranteed, especially in that place in the South West that doesn't exist.

Haven't we talked about the shut down for months and concluded 3G will go before 2G?

Yep. I know that 3G will go first. I'm just finding it strange that EE have gone 2G/4G on a mast, and then Three are having to build their own mast a few hundred meters down the road! Surely it'd be more beneficial to allow Three onto the EE mast, so that you don't have to build more masts than is necessary?

I know that the S4 was poor in regards to holding onto 3G/4G, but I didn't know that the antenna was generally crap in the S4.
Why don't the mobile phone designers have to stick to a given antenna design that is known to work in poor signal areas?

Is the LG G4/G5 any better than the lousy S4 antenna? I know that the S4 won't get VoLTE, but if the LG G4 (or G5) has a better antenna, as well as the possibility of Volte, it will sway me towards ditching the S4, which I have had for two years now...

I've had my S7 a week now and I'll write my experience with the phone on EE in detail as soon as I get chance.

As far as the antenna is concerned, I'd say it's pretty good. It is getting a better signal then my iPhone 5S did I'd say, as it managed to use a 3G signal at my Grandparents house which my iPhone struggled with on Three. It looks like Samsung have improved their antenna over the years. WiFi is also fairing far better as my iPhone used to drop off it regularly in my bedroom, yet the S7 is staying on it without issues despite the fact the signal strength is showing as being quite weak.

I also notice you mentioned issues with the S4 loving 2G. From my experience so far, my S7 seems to hate 2G. It likes to get the best technology possible. On more than one occasion it found a 4G signal and tried to talk to it (upload activity indicator on) but realised it wasn't strong enough and dropped down to 3G- even at my Grandparents where the signal on even 3G is very weak! I've also seen it cling on to a 3G signal for dear life, the upload indicator cycling on and off every few seconds. As this was when I was being driven around in a car, the signal had often improved by then so I don't know if it would drop to 2G eventually. Presumably in these cases, it can hear the mast and would receive notifications from it and, in the case of 3G, could receive a call on it, but the phone can't transmit at enough power for a data connection. I have seen 2G though (and although slow, I could use it) but my phone will avoid it if it can.

Yep. I know that 3G will go first. I'm just finding it strange that EE have gone 2G/4G on a mast?

Déjà vu, it's been said (many times) that 2G and 4G are the favoured options for EE, 3G is the wasteful stepchild that is tolerated for now but will be sent to boarding school to be forgotten about as soon as possible. 3G is wasteful and crap when compared to a 2G/4G setup for network planning.

Déjà vu, it's been said (many times) that 2G and 4G are the favoured options for EE, 3G is the wasteful stepchild that is tolerated for now but will be sent to boarding school to be forgotten about as soon as possible. 3G is wasteful and crap when compared to a 2G/4G setup for network planning.

When EE thought Three was going to buy O2, it made sense to sort of stitch Three up by having 2G/4G only sites, so no requirement to add Three's 3G network.

But now that deal is off, I wonder if Three might actually seek to enhance its working arrangement with MBNL? Of course there's a legal challenge coming up so maybe relations aren't so good...

When EE thought Three was going to buy O2, it made sense to sort of stitch Three up by having 2G/4G only sites, so no requirement to add Three's 3G network.

But now that deal is off, I wonder if Three might actually seek to enhance its working arrangement with MBNL? Of course there's a legal challenge coming up so maybe relations aren't so good...

Quite likely that EE having got the hump with Three and decided to cut back on 3G expansion in favour of 4G are now going 2G/4G only so as to be assisting Three as little as possible in the future as well. It makes sense not to help Three anymore.

Quite likely that EE having got the hump with Three and decided to cut back on 3G expansion in favour of 4G are now going 2G/4G only so as to be assisting Three as little as possible in the future as well. It makes sense not to help Three anymore.

It very much does, you can see why EE would think that way. We also don't know what the opinion of BT is of the MBNL arrangement. They may dislike it and since taking over might have said so.

I am delighted to inform you that you have received the 'best post since the one about posty the post man getting stuck in a post box' award! Your trophy will be sent within the next 27 working days via Vodafone G26*.

*the delivery of the trophy cannot be guaranteed, especially in that place in the South West that doesn't exist.

Thank you. Apparently the trophy is 'planned' at this stage which essentially means a chap has been sent out from London with it on a unicycle and once he get's wiped out on the M4, it will revert to 'Nothing planned for this area'.